Maaike Canne’s suggestive and vibrant illustrations inspired by Japanese traditions

Throughout Maaike Canne‘s work, there’s an underlying curiosity in the way people live and behave based on their location, prosperity, beliefs and values.

The Rotterdam artist and illustrator blends these personal stories with local architecture – whether hotels, shopping centres or petrol stations – to try to understand how places determine our own journey. She has a particular interest in modernist and mid-century buildings as well as the Bauhaus movement. Interestingly, her scenes are often pervaded by a sense of silence and estrangement.

In her latest work, Maaike looks to Japan and its culture with rituals such as Sento, known as communal baths, or the tradition of exchanging gifts during a tea ceremony. But instead of travelling to Asia for inspiration, she trawls through books and magazines, cutting out and keeping images that she plans to draw in future. From photographs of streets and landscapes to Japanese advertisements, you could say she’s an image hoarder.

The resulting illustrations, from her series Japan’s Cultural Mystery of Humanness, include a piece called Kodokushi (孤独死), which means “lonely deaths” – a Japanese phenomenon of people dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time.

Working across a variety of different media, including murals, woodwork and print, Maaike Canne are often surreal and mysterious in what are recognisable spaces. She gets inspiration from interior, architecture and design. Discover more of her work at maaikecanne.com.